EDINBURG – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) women's basketball team knocked off second place Seattle U 69-67 in overtime on Thursday at the UTRGV Fieldhouse.

This was UTRGV (12-13, 2-8 WAC) head coach Larry Tidwell's 500^th-career head coaching victory, including 211 collegiate and 289 high school wins.
 
Junior Quynne Huggins led UTRGV with her first-career double-double, scoring a career-high 21 points with a career-high 11 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Megan Johnson scored a game-high 22 points with five rebounds. Graduate student Alicia McCray scored eight points with five rebounds and four assists. Freshman Amara Graham scored six points with a career-high nine rebounds. Junior Krisynthia Sampson scored six points with eight rebounds.
 
Alexis Montgomery led Seattle U (13-12, 7-3 WAC) with 11 points, nine rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Kamira Sanders scored a team-high 13 points with five rebounds. Jacinta Beckley scored 11 points with nine rebounds. Madeline Dopplick and McKenzi Williams also scored 11 points each. Kallin Spiller scored eight points with nine rebounds and four assists.
 
UTRGV trailed by as much as 11, going down 41-30 early in the third quarter. That's when UTRGV caught fire, using a 17-6 run to tie the game at 47.
 
Then, with the game tied at 49, Seattle U went on a 9-1 run to go up 58-50. Huggins responded with a layup, a three, and two free throws, and then Sampson buried a three to give UTRGV a 60-58 lead with 4:57 remaining.
 
Williams tied the game with a pair of free throws before a Graham layup and a Johnson three-point play put UTRGV up 65-50. Sanders answered with two layups and a free throw to force overtime.
 
Huggins and Johnson each hit baskets in the extra session to give UTRGV its first overtime victory in three tries this season.
 
Seattle U jumped out to a 9-0 lead over the first four minutes, but a Sampson three sparked an 8-0 run to bring UTRGV within one.
 
UTRGV tied the game three times, including at 17 on a Johnson jumper early in the second quarter, but Seattle U scored the next eight points as part of a 14-3 run to build a 31-20 lead.
 
McCray followed with a layup and then junior Vela alum Daniela Azubell nailed a three to bring UTRGV within five.
 
UTRGV plays its home finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Utah Valley. The senior class will be honored before the game. Doors open at 6.

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